


The last whisper of the East

by Aarashi



Category: One Piece
Genre: Canon Backstory, Childhood Memories, Crew as Family, Desert Island, Dreams, East Blue Saga, Emotions, Family, Feels, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Goodbyes, Happy Ending, Home, Homesickness, Memories, Nakamaship, Nostalgia, Promises, Sailing, Tears, The Going Merry, Trust, Warm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-31
Updated: 2019-07-31
Packaged: 2020-07-28 04:22:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20057941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aarashi/pseuds/Aarashi
Summary: In their way to Loguetown, the Straw Hat Pirates are surprised by a sudden storm and they ended up in an unknown island. There they find something they would haver never dreamt of. And as their memories come back, they prepare to the last goodbyes.“In the end, home is the place you feel you belong to.”





	The last whisper of the East

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I'm back with this little story about our five original members of East Blue. I love their relationship and I really enjoyed the time they sail together in the Going Merry, so I wanted to write something soft about them. There are some minor spoilers about the Whole Cake Island Arc, but I think it's nothing too explicit. Anyway, I hope you enjoy and thanks for reading!

The floor under her feet creaked smoothly. The rocking of the ship was very gentle that night. The moonlight that entered through the windows was almost enough to lighten the table. The tear of the quill on the paper was the only sound; when she stopped, she heard the song of the sea, and she smiled.

She thought it was a beautiful night.

Nami glanced at the window before going back to work. She normally drew in the quietness of her room, but that night she had felt it would be nice to do it in the kitchen. They boys were already in their room, or at least they were silent enough not to bother her. And the chart in front of her was nearly finished.

She distanced a bit to see it with a better perspective. The last islands they had found were already there and she knew the Grand Line was really close. She had been working on charts of the East Blue for a long time, and even though she had not great memories about it, she loved that sea. She loved the way the islands were distributed and the way the currents made everything work fluidly. It was her home and it was beautiful, and drawing it felt like a little present for the lost child she had been once.

“Oh, Nami-san?”

Nami raised her head and saw Sanji in the entrance of the kitchen, clearly surprised.

“I thought you were already asleep. Is everything okay?”

“Yes, of course. I just wanted to finish this,” she explained, pointing at the chart.

“Oh.” Sanji smiled at the sight of it. “It’s pretty late, though.”

“Yes, I know, but…” Nami smiled, throwing another glance at the window. “I don’t feel asleep at all. I like this night. It feels fine.”

“Hum…” Sanji moved towards the counter and followed her gaze through the window. “The moon is certainly beautiful tonight…” His eyes went back to Nami and she contained a smile, knowing what would come next. “Not as much as you, of course.”

“You couldn’t sleep, Sanji-kun?”

“Oh, well, I realized that I left some undone work here, so I came to improve some things,” he explained, pointing at the fridge. “Can I make anything for you? A cup of tea, maybe?”

“Oh, no, don’t bother, I just…”

“It’s not a bother at all,” Sanji assured, and Nami saw that he was already taking out a pot. “I was thinking about doing a bit for myself, also.”

“Okay, then, thanks.”

Nami turned her attention back to the chart, while Sanji started making tea. For a while, the tear of the quill and the soft taps Sanji made while organizing the fridge filled the kitchen.

“Here.” 

Sanji put a cup on the table, taking care of not leaving it too close to the papers.

“Thank you.”

Nami took a sip. As always, it was perfect: sweet but not in excess, a balance of flavors that only many years in the kitchen could achieve. Nami left the quill for a moment, thinking about what else she could add to the already drawn lines, while Sanji hummed for himself. Nami stayed still for a while, her eyes focused on the chart without really seeing it, smiling at the image of the real East Blue. She moved when she had to blink, realizing the change. She stood up slowly and approached to the window.

The moon had been hidden; instead, some clouds moved lazily bringing darkness with themselves. Nami frowned. She definitely could feel the change.

She turned around and crossed the kitchen towards the door that led to the deck. A gust of cold wind welcomed her quite harshly.

“Nami-san?” Sanji called, unsure.

“I think a storm is coming.”

“A storm?” The cook placed himself beside her, frowning. “It’s true there are more clouds now… but a minute ago we had a wonderful weather.”

“Yeah,” Nami admitted. “But I’m pretty sure we’re going direct towards a storm. Could you call the others?”

She turned to look finally at him, and at that gaze, Sanji stopped hesitating. In the time they had sailed together, he had already learnt to trust the navigator’s skills.

And anyway, he would never refuse to a petition made by Nami.

“Leave that to me.”

While he disappeared below the deck, Nami approached to the rail, noticing how the wind had got stronger. She felt a drop of water in her face and she raised her gaze. The sky was covered with a uniform blanket of deep grey.

“Hey, Nami, what’s going on?” Usopp asked. He and the others had already got out. “Sanji said…”

“We’re going towards a storm,” she quickly explained. “Hurry up, we need to change the course.”

“Tell us what to do,” Sanji said immediately.

“Sanji-kun, Zoro, take charge of the main sail! Luffy, move the jib to the right! Usopp, get the helm, everything to the right!”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Nami took a stronger gasp on the rail while the others hurried to obey. The wind whistled furiously and the first drops of rain were already falling. She saw a weak lightning.

_Not fast enough_, she thought.

The ship suddenly started to spin, but Nami felt a brusque impact on her side. The tides were changing. They had already entered in a dangerous zone.

“Nami!” Usopp called from the kitchen. “Is this enough?”

“Don’t let it go yet, Usopp!” she answered, staring at the waves.

Both the ocean and the sky were roaring.

“Okay, we’ve got serious problems up here!”

Nami raised her gaze to Zoro’s call and she found him and Sanji struggling with the main sail. They were both soak and trying to balance themselves while taking care of the cloth.

“Just pick it up!” Nami cried. “We’ve got to get out of here…!”

“Easier said than done!” was Zoro’s harsh reply.

Nami heard Sanji’s protest about the swordsman talking too abruptly to her, but she could not care less in that moment. The ocean was getting braver.

That was when he heard the scream.

Instinctively, Nami turned around, at time to heard Sanji’s and Zoro’s call while their captain fell from the back mast. Luffy stretched his arm, but a sudden wave attacked the prow and his body was lost in the water. When the sea retired, he was gone.

Just gone.

“LUFFY!”

“I’ll get him!” Zoro shouted. “Finish that!”

“Got it!”

Nami saw the swordsman throwing himself into the water while Sanji finally managed to pick up the sail. Nami heard her own struggled breathe at the sight of two men diving in those black waters.

“Nami, watch out…!”

Usopp’s cry was lost in the roars of the storm. Nami had barely time to spin her head and saw the massive wave approaching. She distinguished Usopp leaving the helm and running to her side, only to stumble before making it, and she thought she heard Sanji’s shout before he suddenly appeared in front of her, his hand grabbing her arm and pushing her backward… only to get himself trapped by the wave.

Nami tried to scream his name, but her back impacted with the deck and she heard a similar sound that implied Usopp had also been saved by the cook. Nami felt her body fall while the ship bent and she heard Usopp screaming something, but she could not understand it with the roar of the thunder and the waves. They were falling towards the rail. They had to grab it, no matter what. They had to grab it.

They did not.

There was a warm and pleasant sensation on the left side of her face. The right one, though, did not feel good at all. Her eyes struggled a bit, but that warm feeling was too relaxing, she wanted to stay that way forever. Her hands moved and that did not feel well either. Now the warm sensation was growing stronger and stronger, until it became unpleasant… it was hot. Too hot.

Nami opened her eyes and closed them instantly when she felt them burn. Wherever she was lying down, her face was turned towards the sun. She fought until she managed to get up over her elbows and blinked a pair of times. She saw sand. That explained the rough sensation on her right cheek. She cleaned the grains from her face and took a look around. She was in a beach, the sea whispering behind her and trees and vegetation forming a green shelter in front of her eyes. The landscape was completely unknown.

Nami sat up and repressed a whine. Her body ached, particularly a spot in her back, where she had received the impact of the deck. She massaged it gently, trying to be grateful that all the harm she had received was that.

The navigator finally rose to her feet and took a few cautious steps to check that she was actually able to walk. Apart from her moaning muscles, she obtained no complaint, so she kept walking. The beach extended at both her sides, so she decided to follow one of it. She did not want to go into the jungle alone, not without knowing what was waiting for her. First things first, she had to look for the others.

By the position of the sun, Nami concluded it was early morning. That meant she had been unconscious for… six hours? She remembered the storm, the water around her, Usopp’s desperate moves while they tried not to sink. They had swum, or they had tried, at least, and Nami remembered the pain in her arms and legs, the way she had grabbed Usopp wrist not to lose him. She did not remember arriving to any island, though. But she had not drowned, either. Maybe she had been near the coast when her forces had failed.

But she did not remember seeing that island before, not even in her old charts.

Nami stopped when she distinguished a strange figure in the sand, the contrast of the light brown with some darker body. She sped up and practically threw her body towards the one lying in the sand. She would have recognized that nose anywhere.

_Usopp_.

He was lying upward, with his arms extended to the sides. His eyes were closed. Nami watched him nervously before realizing she had not actually called his name.

“Usopp,” she tried again, and she felt her voice weak and scratchy. “Usopp! Wake up!”

“Hmgh… bit… more…”

“Usopp!” Nami shook him. “You’re fine, right? Say something!”

“I’m… is this… heaven?” His eyes were now opened, but unfocused. “Oh… I see…”

“What are you seeing?” Nami shook him again violently. “Usopp, come on, wake up, we have no time for this!”

“Is… already… time… to eat?”

“Oh, you’re the same as Luffy!”

“Luffy…” Usopp mumbled. He blinked. “Right… Oh, Luffy!”

He stood up so suddenly that Nami let out a scream. The sniper blinked again and saw her.

“Nami… you’re… you’re okay…”

Nami sighed and nodded, a bit calmer.

“Yeah, I’m fine… It seems like we made it to the shore.”

“But where are we? What happened to the ship?”

“I don’t know. I’ve just woken up in the sand and I started looking for you all... I haven’t seen anyone else, neither the ship”

“The others…” Usopp seemed to start remembering. “Luffy fell into the sea and Zoro went after him… and Sanji! He fell because he saved us!”

Nami nodded again, sadly.

“I hope they are fine… Do you remember arriving here, by the way?”

Usopp frowned, taking a hand to his head.

“No, not really… we were swimming and… ah, it was so dark out there…”

Nami stood up again and took another glance around. The place seemed deserted.

“We’ve got to find them and the ship. Come on, let’s look in the beach.”

“But… ah, in the beach, okay.” Usopp stood up. “I thought you’d suggest looking in there,” said, signaling to the jungle. “N-Not that I’m afraid, of course!”

Nami smiled for herself, resigned. Certainly, she had no intention of looking there, at least for now.

Sanji woke up only to realize that he was alive, that he was alone and that his body ached. He sat up with a grimace.

_Where the hell I am?_

He did not remember swimming to any shore. And nobody was around. He felt the flavor of seawater in his lips, but he did not feel like had ingested any, so it did not seem like he had sunk so deep. Well, he remembered falling into the water, after his right foot was set on the deck to apart Usopp and Nami. That explained why his leg hurt so badly, he had had to put pressure so it would resist the impact without falling forward. Not that he had been too lucky about that last part, though. Then he remembered swimming and trying not to get slammed by the ship; again, not too lucky about that, by the way his ribs ached.

Sanji tightened his teeth and stood up. His right leg hurt, as well as his ribs, but it was nothing unbearable. He took a hand inside his jacket and sought for his cigarettes, but he found out they were completely ruined because of the water. With a sad sigh, he took a quick look around, studying the beach and the jungle behind him. He should start searching for the others. The most logic option was to stay near the shore, at least while he did not have a clue. But a movement between the trees made him approach, slowly. Could it be an animal? A local? He tensed his body and prepared for the fight. He saw a glimmer and his left leg rose towards it, only to collide with something he already knew quite well. The metal jangled against his shoe.

“Oh. It’s you.”

Sanji lowered his leg while Zoro moved his sword away. His eyes and shoulders relaxed a bit.

“Where do you come from?” Sanji asked. Zoro pointed somewhere behind him.

“I woke up in the beach. I thought I could look here.”

“Who would jump into the jungle instead of waiting in the shore?”

“Luffy would.”

Sanji paused.

“Yeah, he definitely would.”

Zoro frowned, as he had just realized something.

“So the storm also caught you, uh?”

“Yeah. I was thrown into the ocean back then… I hope at least Nami-san and Usopp made it. You didn’t get Luffy, I guess?”

“I did, in fact, and I managed to get to the surface, but the waves were too strong… I tried to maintain his head out but don’t know if I made it. It was too damn dark.”

Sanji nodded. He could not deny that.

“Anyway, I think we should go back to the shore. Even if Luffy made it here, I doubt he’ll be in conditions to go wandering around.”

Zoro seemed to agree; however, Sanji had to push him around when the swordsman made the attempt to go back into the jungle.

“It’s the opposite direction, idiot.”

Zoro mumbled something unintelligible.

They walked through the beach for some minutes, without talking. The sea was calm and the sun was already rising, its warm rays caressing their faces. Sanji took away his jacket.

“There’s something that’s bothering me,” he mumbled after a while. “Do you remember swimming towards here?”

Zoro looked at him for a couple of seconds before answering.

“No. I didn’t even see the island.”

“Me neither. I don’t think I made it to the shore, but if I’d lost consciousness because the lack of oxygen, I wouldn’t have woken up the way I did.”

“Yeah,” Zoro said. “It was like waking up from a normal sleep.”

“Yeah.”

After some minutes of walking through the sand, they decided to go into the jungle. Sanji thought they should check if there was any kind of civilization in the island (though it did not seem it was) and also see if they could manage to hunt something to eat. They did not know where the Going Merry was, so maybe they should think about staying in the island for a while.

The vegetation was deep, the trees tall enough to hide the sun and the temperature noticeably lower. There were big roots in the ground which made them stumble more than once, but apart from some birds and small rodents, it did not seem to be an aggressive fauna, less to be any human. Zoro stopped after a while.

“Strange,” he mumbled. “It seems for once we’ve ended up in a normal and innocent place.”

Sanji glanced around; indeed, it was hard to imagine any danger, but by that time they were too used to that kind of stories.

“A man can never trust his surroundings,” Sanji commented.

They kept walking, Sanji being careful with his hurt leg. Zoro had not said anything about it, but kept a comfortable pace. The swordsman stopped again after some minutes to take another look around, and then Sanji saw it.

A little glimpse.

He caught his breath.

“What?” Zoro said at once, one hand in the hilt of his sword.

Sanji blinked. It had only been for a second, but he could swear… He shook his head.

“Nothing. Don’t mind.”

Zoro gave him a pensive look, but did not insist. Sanji took then the lead, following the stream of light he could see through the trees. They ended in the beach again, in the other side of the island.

“I guess this place is inhabited, after all,” he commented lightly.

“Oi!”

Both of them turned around and saw Nami and Usopp running towards them. Sanji felt his heart jumped with excitement.

“Nami-san! I’m so glad you are safe!”

He ran at her side, absolutely ignoring the pain of his leg, and took her hand gently, while Usopp threw him a hurt look.

“You could at least fake that you’re relief about seeing me.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Oh, Nami-san… are you hurt?”

“No, we’re fine.” Nami looked at Sanji and then at Zoro, proving that both of them were free of injuries. “I guess you don’t know where Luffy is.”

Both of them shook their heads. Nami sighed and stared at the sea.

“I hope he made it here, too… It would be bad if he didn’t reach the island.”

“I did, and I don’t remember it, so he should be fine,” Zoro said, shrugging.

“What kind of reasoning is that?” Usopp protested.

Sanji, meanwhile, looked at Nami again, with a bit of guilt.

“Uh, by the way, Nami-san… I’m sorry for the push back in the ship. I wasn’t too careful.”

“What? Oh, no, no, it’s fine, I’m glad you pushed us!” Nami assured.

_Though I see it didn’t make any difference_, Sanji thought.

“Again, are you just gonna ignore me?” Usopp asked.

Zoro sighed and turned around.

“Fine, now we just have to find our captain and our ship.”

“You’ve already sought in the jungle?” Usopp asked.

“Not really, we only covered a little section,” Sanji replied, looking back at the vegetation.

“W-Why don’t we finish looking in the shore?” Usopp suggested. “We have to find the ship, too.”

“Yes, let’s do that,” Nami nodded. “Once we finished with the beach, we can go back to the jungle, if we haven’t found them yet.”

They continued with the walk. Nami and Usopp had already covered a big area, so they just followed the shore, without luck. They ended up next to a cliff. In front of them a good amount of rocks awaited, the waves roaring with fierce. Usopp stopped at once.

“What? We can follow, we just have to be careful,” Zoro said, starting to climb.

“No, wait,” Nami said. Her eyes were fixed somewhere below. “There are also rocks down there. And the stone is slippery with the seawater. It’s too dangerous.”

Zoro got away from there, though he did not seem convinced. Usopp, meanwhile, looked at the rocks with panic.

“F-Fine, then let’s go another way…”

“So?” Sanji asked, smirking. “Which way do you prefer? The unknown and mysterious jungle or the threatening slippery cove?”

Usopp trembled. Zoro rolled his eyes.

“Come on, let’s end up with this. We cannot waste time here.”

He stepped back and walked towards the jungle, soon followed by Nami. Sanji patted Usopp’s back when he passed near him. Usopp smiled nervously.

“You’ll protect me, right?”

“Of course I won’t.”

“Zoro?”

Zoro deliberately ignored him. Sanji raised his head.

“Nami-san, please, don’t let this idiot go ahead, or somehow we’ll end up in the West Blue.”

“I know, don’t worry, I’ll lead the way,” Nami answered, cheerfully.

“Hey!”

Sanji and Usopp sped up to catch them. Walking through the jungle was more difficult than walking through the sand. Sanji had to grab Usopp more than once to prevent him from falling.

“How big this jungle can be?” Nami mumbled, struggling to get over a root. “Do you really think Luffy can be here?”

“Luffy!” Usopp called. “Luffy, answer us!”

“At least we are alone,” Sanji commented. “I haven’t noticed any other presence.”

“Yeah,” Zoro admitted. “Still…”

Sanji suddenly stopped, making Usopp to crash into him.

“Oi, Sanji, what…?”

It was there again.

“Sanji-kun?” Nami asked, turning around.

But Sanji was already running, diverting from their original path.

“Oi, cook! What the hell do you think you are doing?”

He had seen it. Could that be…?

_No_, he thought, stopping again. He felt breathless, though he had only run for a few steps. _No, of course it can’t be. What an idiot…_

“Hey, Sanji.” Usopp and the others had reached him. “What was that for?”

“Have you seen something?” Nami asked.

“Sorry. I just thought… never mind. Sorry.”

He made an attempt of going back to the path, but Zoro pushed his shoulder, his face serious.

“You. Have you seen something or not?”

Sanji was about to answer, angry, when both him and Zoro turned around at once. Sanji realized he could not be the only one seeing it. And hearing it.

Slowly, the four of them walked towards the source of the sound. They passed a group of trees until they finally stopped. Sanji breathed again, but it was Usopp who asked:

“What… what is that?”

Zoro stood motionless, one hand in his sword and one arm raised instinctively to prevent the others from jumping towards a possible danger. But there was nothing threatening their lives, at least not in appearance. They were before a small and limpid lake and a little waterfall, whose sound filled the silence they had reached.

The cook was the first one to take a step forward. His gaze was fixed in the little butterfly they had seen in the jungle, now flying towards the waterfall. It landed in a rock and stayed, lazily moving its wings.

“What… is this place?” Nami whispered.

Slowly, Zoro took down his arm and approached to the lake. The water was clean, crystalline. He approached his hand, slowly, very slowly, conscious that his crewmates were watching attentively. He touched it.

Nothing happened.

“Just water,” he mumbled.

He rose and looked at the others. The three of them had a similar look on their faces: a mix of surprised, caution, distrust. And something more.

Yearning.

“Why are we here,” Sanji mumbled. His blue eyes were looking at the butterfly, though it did not seem he was really seeing it.

Zoro said nothing. He did not understand, either. He did not try to understand the atmosphere, the fact that they were in a completely normal place and, still, they felt the way the feel.

Like they were so far away.

“Guys,” Usopp mumbled, and his voice seemed to be at the edge of breaking. “I don’t know if I’m turning mad, but… what do you smell?”

“Smell?” Nami repeated, sounding as she did not even hear the sniper.

“Yeah.” Usopp blinked and smiled. “Because I smelled my town.”

Nami fixed her gaze on the ground and the flowers that grew near the lake.

“Tangerines,” she whispered, and she smiled.

“Seafood.” The cook’s voice was unexpectedly kind.

And Zoro realized that what had been bothering him was that he had not been really seeing the lake, but somewhere else. Somewhere where he could smell steal and wood and that weak scent of the plants rustled by the wind.

“What is this place?” Nami asked again, her voice touched. “Why… why are we…?”

She did not finish the sentence, but it did not matter, as the rest knew perfectly what she was asking. They all were wondering the same.

Why they were so close and yet so far away.

Zoro thought about the whispers he had heard back in the jungle, when they were chasing the butterfly, the voices he had wanted to think came from the rustle of the leaves. He could hear them here, too. If he paid attention enough, he could hear her.

He caressed the hint of his sword, softly. It really was like being there again.

Usopp fell to the ground on his knees, his eyes full of tears. Nami had lowered her head to hide hers, one hand covering her mouth. Sanji’s eyes were clean and transparent.

“But why?” Usopp asked, smiling. “Why now?”

Nami stifled a sob. Sanji had started to play with his lighter, though the cigarette in his lips did not seem to be about to light at all.

“I would like to know,” he began, in a low voice “what this means.”

For a moment, Zoro thought he saw a briefly but intense shadow of rage in his voice, and he surprised himself feeling it, too. It was just a ghost, a ghost that passed through him so quickly, but it was real. He did not know what that location was, but it had no right. Even though it felt like _that_ place; precisely because it felt like _that_ place.

Why now, of all times.

“Come on,” Zoro muttered. It was like he broke a spell. “We’ve got to find Luffy.”

“Yeah.” Sanji managed to turn his head around. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Come on.”

Zoro pushed gently Usopp’s shoulder and did not wait to see him standing up. Nami was already cleaning her face. While they made their way back to the jungle, he could not help but think that, with ship or without it, they were stuck in that place.

If walking through the jungle had been tough before, it had nothing to do with now. Usopp’s feet seemed to stumble with every single root and branch, his eyes not paying any attention at the ground, and at that time there was nobody to grab him. His head was still in the lake and the waterfall and the view of a woman smiling from a bed.

Beside him, Nami had the ghost of a smile in her lips, while she walked slowly not to fall. Her hand touched Usopp’s wrist when he nearly stumbled again and gave him a weak grip of encouragement. Usopp raised his head and saw that Sanji, who kept the lead, was nearly out of sight.

“Hey,” Zoro called, in a low voice, touching his shoulder. The cook turned. “Slow down a bit.”

Sanji realized Nami’s and Usopp’s panting in their attempt of catching his pace. He lowered his head.

“Sorry,” he mumbled.

Zoro released him and they went on walking, slowly but without stopping. Without looking back.

Usopp did not know where they were going anymore, and now that Zoro was in the lead, he supposed they would get lost anyway, but he did not mind at all. His body moved just because he had to; if it was just for him, he would stay still.

He blinked when he saw again the sunlight against his face and discovered they had reached the shore. His gaze lightened. Lying on the sand and apparently unharmed, their ship awaited.

“Merry!”

And it was not the only one.

“Luffy!”

Zoro and Sanji were the first ones to arrive next to their captain, who was lying still. Usopp’s concerned was dissipated when he heard an unmistakable sound of snoring.

“I don’t know why we keep worrying about him,” Zoro said, between his teeth.

“Yeah,” Sanji agreed. “What a pain the ass.”

Usopp closed his eyes but that did not prevent him from hearing the blow of Sanji’s kick and Zoro’s punch toward their captain’s face. Luffy woke up with a pouted.

“AW! What was that for?”

“Idiot,” Sanji snapped. “We’ve been searching for you for ages.”

“We were worried,” Nami added with a sigh. “And you were here sleeping all the time.”

Luffy, who was caressing his face, tilted his head.

“Hum… but where do you guys come from?”

“You don’t remember anything, do you?” Usopp said, resigned.

“Hum… I remember the storm,” Luffy said. “And I fell to the sea. Then Zoro came and grabbed me before I lost consciousness and that was cool.” He shrugged. “And that’s all.”

“That’s all?” Nami repeated.

“Yeah,” Luffy nodded. “The next thing I remember is you guys waking me up. Oh, by the way, I’m so hungry… Sanji…”

“It’s not time to eat!” Nami snapped, angry, and Luffy jumped, startled. “Anything could have happened through that storm!”

“Hum, yeah, but we are all fine, right?” Luffy said, blinking. “And the ship is fine too. We can leave already. Oh, wait, we’re in an island.” He stood up, like he had just realized that fact. “Do you guys found anything interesting?”

The four of them exchanged a look.

“Well…” Usopp started, insecure. “We… we did.”

“And?”

Luffy looked at them, one by one. Usopp caressed his neck, uncomfortable.

“There’s a place, but… well. Maybe it’s better if we just show you.”

“Sure!” Luffy smiled. “Take me there!”

While they walked through the jungle, Luffy could not help but notice that his comrades seemed a bit different from usual. Zoro, though calm, was serious, walking in complete silence; Sanji’s gaze was inscrutable. Usopp was strangely quiet and Nami’s expression was also strangely soft.

“What’s up with you, guys? Did something happen?”

Usopp threw him an uncomfortable look; Nami an unsure one. But none of them answer. Luffy was about to protest; he wanted to know what the hell was going on with them, but then he saw again Sanji’s only visible eye and Zoro’s expression and he decided to stay silent.

He did not ask either where they were going. The four of them seemed quite confident about the direction, at least that was the impression he had got in the beginning, because now they were looking around with uncertainty.

“Maybe it’s this way,” Usopp suggested. “I think we saw this tree…”

“No, I’d say it’s to your right…” Nami began, but Luffy was already walking.

He had heard something.

He sped up, ignoring if the others were following him or not, and he did not stop until the vegetation ended and the landscape changed. He was in front of a lake and a little waterfall. The water flowed smoothly and there was something, something in the air, like… Luffy took a deep breath and smiled.

“Ah. It smells like home.”

It was really pleasant to be there again, in those lonely mountains where every day one could find a new adventure. It felt fine.

Luffy tilted his head when he heard it again. Those were… whispers? Oh, they were. And they were talking to him, right? Like he was with them again. He could see their faces, smiling. As he was back home with them.

“What is this place, guys?” he asked softly.

“We don’t know,” Nami answered, also in a low voice. “We just know that it’s here and that… Well…”

“It…” Usopp started, but was unable to continue.

“It brings home,” Zoro finally said.

“Yeah. It brings everything back,” Sanji whispered.

Luffy looked at the water, at those three rocks next to the waterfall. He smiled again.

“I see.”

He approached to them slowly. He put his hat in the smaller one, softly, and he sat in front of it. He could hear them.

He closed his eyes.

The others watched as their captain made that little gesture and sat down there. None of them said anything. As soon as they had had that landscape before their eyes, they had felt it again. Those smells, those voices. Even if the shock of the first time had already disappeared, it still felt strange.

“Do you think is some kind of spell?” Usopp whispered after a while.

“Like a curse?” Zoro asked. He shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

His hand remained in the hilt of his sword, distractedly. The touch felt good.

“But don’t you think like… it’s trying to retain us here?”

Usopp now seemed a bit worried, same as Nami. Sanji and Zoro stayed silent.

It was true that that place was charming. That they had came to it through whispers and memories. It was true that a part of them wanted to stay there so badly: in the memory of home and in the eternal fights with his greatest rival; in the safety of full of lies stories and the laughs of the most marvelous women he had ever met; in the kind arms of his mother and in the shelter of a kitchen under his father’s guidance; in the orchard of tangerines and in the house of her family.

But those were places where they could always go back, no matter if they did not found them completed. Their memories would always remain.

“Maybe it’s the other way round.” Zoro’s eyes were not seeing the lake, but neither home. They were further, looking at the future he was going to build. “Maybe it’s not a tether, but a push.”

“A push?” Usopp repeated.

“Yeah.” Zoro grasped his sword firmly. “To go forward.”

Through the scent of tangerines, Nami thought about that last night in her old house, in the words she had silently dedicated before leaving. In that warm feeling she had felt in her back.

“I think you’re right,” she whispered. “I think… it’s more like… a present.”

The water flowed, always flowed.

“Whose?” Usopp asked.

And being conscious about what she was going to say, Nami answered:

“From the East Blue. From our home.”

The lake was blue, so blue, it felt unreal.

“That can’t be,” Sanji suddenly said, before even realizing. He raised his head, feeling a bit awkward. “I mean…”

_I don’t deserve it._

He had not been born there. East Blue had been the sea which had saved him and it was true that it had been his home during those last nine years, but… He had been born in the North Blue, in a kingdom of steel and inhumanity. He was not like them. Right?

He saw the butterfly, flying before him one last time before disappearing. He felt it, the caress of its wings in his cheek, a warm breeze that remove his hair from his eyes. He let out a little sigh and he breathed, he breathed, and there were no iron bars, there were no chains nor tears imprisoning his heart.

Maybe they were right, after all. Vinsmoke Sanji had died in the sea, nine years ago. Sanji, only Sanji, had been born in the East Blue.

“Yeah,” he ended up saying, with a little smile. “I think you’re right.”

“Then let’s just thank,” Zoro said in a low voice. “And say our goodbye.”

Usopp nodded, solemnly. They stayed still for some minutes, hearing, feeling, living. It was like with every breath they were inhaling life.

Finally, Luffy stood up. He recovered his hat and put it on his head again. He turned to them, smiling.

“Okay. Time to go.”

The others followed, each one at their pace. Last tears were spilled and last goodbyes were given, before the whispering of the waterfall. Its music walked with them through the jungle, and it did not leave them until they reached the shore and the roar of the sea, of their sea, greeted them. They smiled at the sight.

“Do you think it saved us?” Usopp asked, in a low voice.

“Maybe,” Sanji answered. “Or maybe it just wanted to bring us here in the first place.”

“It’s strange to think about it,” Zoro admitted, his arms crossed before his chest. Beside him, Luffy stretched out.

“Aw, that was a great walk. Now, let’s go back to the ship!”

“W-Wait a moment.”

Nami stood still on the sand.

“Hum? Have you forgotten anything?” Luffy asked.

“No, but…” She paused, then looked at Luffy. “Once we set sail… we’re heading towards Grand Line, right?”

“Of course! What’s wrong? Don’t you wanna come?” And Luffy now sounded horrified.

“It’s not that!” Nami assured. “I’m just saying… there’s no turning back.”

The other four stared at her and Nami blushed, but tried to explain herself:

“I mean… I’ve spent a lot of time out of my village, but this time will be different, right? It’s not like we can go back whenever we want. We don’t know how much time our journey will take.”

“Or if we’ll come back alive,” Sanji added.

“Don’t even joke about it!” Usopp protested.

“It’s just that, after this…” Nami gestured towards the jungle and the sea. “I felt like… I need a moment to be aware of it.”

Sanji’s eye half-closed in realization and a soft smile appeared in his lips. Usopp now seemed as touched as Nami.

“I guess I’ve got it easier than you,” Zoro said, finally. “I’ve got nowhere to go and nobody is waiting for me to return, so… forward is the only way I can go now.”

He looked at Luffy, who tilted his head. Sanji took a breath. He made the gesture as if he was smoking, though there was no cigarette in his lips.

“Sometimes… when you leave, even though you know it’s the right thing to do, even though you know you’re going to a better place… it’s hard. Because we fear the unknown. And no matter if the place you’re leaving is hell… a part of you is terrified of going away. Because it’s the only thing you’ve known.” Sanji made a pause and then smiled. “Well. Maybe I’m just saying bullshit.”

“No, it’s true,” Zoro said, surprising them. “You may leave, but you know a part of yourself resides there. Unless you want to let it die, of course.”

Sanji smiled again, absently, and whispered:

“In the end, home is the place you feel you belong to.”

“It’s the same with family,” Nami added, gently. “I mean, who cares if you are blood-related or not? The important thing is that you love each other.”

“Yeah. Blood means anything,” Sanji said. “Family are the ones who make you feel home.”

His eyes were kind, and gentle, and of an infinite blue. Zoro was hiding a smile. Nami moved her hair away and smiled.

“I didn’t pretend you all to go so sentimental,” she recognized, while Usopp let out a nervous laugh and cleaned his tears.

“True,” Zoro said, smiling at him.

“My bad,” Sanji added, also smiling.

Luffy tilted his head again and said, lightly:

“We can go back, if you want.”

“Go back?” Sanji repeated.

“Yeah, you know. If you think you’ve left some unfinished issues or you just need more time…” Luffy shrugged. “We can wait. Grand Line will be still there, after all.”

The other four exchanged a look. Then Zoro smiled.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. I’m prepared to face any pirate of Grand Line right now.”

“Same goes for me,” Sanji answered, with a defiant look in his eyes.

“W-Well, I am, too!” Usopp said, though his voice trembled. “I’m… I’m ready to go!”

Luffy looked at Nami, who nodded, smiling.

“Sorry, Luffy, for making you wait. I guess we were all ready since the beginning. After all, that’s why I asked you to do it.”

“Ask me what?” Luffy replied, and Nami had to summon all her patience before saying, softly:

“Take me with you to the ocean.”

Luffy stayed silent. His eyes were smiling.

“Well, I don’t remember asking that at all,” Zoro smirked, and Nami rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, neither do I,” Sanji agreed. “In fact, he begged me to join.”

“Better than being told you’d be released from the post you were tied to die only if you join his crew.”

“Really?” Sanji laughed. “Oh, God, that’s even worse.”

“You really are idiots,” Nami said, while Usopp laughed silently.

Luffy did not seem offended at all.

“What’s wrong with all that? I wanted you to join my crew. And you ended up accepting.”

“There’s no point in explaining him the problem, is it?” Sanji asked.

“Nah, don’t bother,” Zoro agreed.

Nami was already approaching to the ship.

“Okay, enough adventures for a day. Let’s get out of this island!”

“Yeah!” Luffy shouted with enthusiasm, while the others smiled. “Let’s set sails!”

That night, they enjoyed a particular nice dinner. Sanji took care of preparing their favorite dishes and that, added to the already cheerful ambience, made them forget all the trouble they had been through on the last days.

Sat at the table with them, Nami could not help but remember what she had talked with Nojiko before leaving.

_Are you not going to tell me?_

_Tell you what?_

Nami had said nothing, but instead looked at the remains of the big party they had held. The four boys were sleeping, exhausted after all the food, drink, telling lies or unsuccessful tries of flirting. Her sister seemed to understand what she was thinking.

_They make you happy, don’t they? I’d be the first one to kick their asses if they harm you, but… I hadn’t seen you smile that way since a long time ago. They seem good boys._

_Yeah,_ Nami had thought, smiling distractedly. _They are._

Now that she was looking at them again, she thought the same. They were four boys. They were stronger than her, at least in regards to physical force. Nami had been stealing from pirates for many years. She knew how they were. She had realized how they treated pretty girls like her. It was not only that she knew those four guys would never harm her. It was that she knew they would give their lives for her.

Maybe, after so much time taking care of herself, aware of the risk she was running, it felt good to relax. To know there was someone covering her back. To know she could close her eyes every night without fear. To know when she woke up someone would be there smiling at her.

_Nami, I see an island!_

_Hey, Nami, what course now?_

_Nami, d-do you really think it’s safe?_

_Nami-san, I made you these sweets!_

To know she was not alone anymore.

To know she could call that ship _home_.

She smiled.

That night, there was no storm. Normally, once they finished eating, they got out of the kitchen and went to their rooms or stood on the deck, only Sanji remaining to clean the dishes. But that night they all stayed. Nami and Usopp cleaned the table while Sanji and Zoro washed and dried the dishes. Once the table was emptied, Nami set her nearly finished chart and continued working, while Usopp made some of his ammunition. Zoro and Luffy just sat down in the chairs and Sanji prepared some tea.

Nami, who had just raised her quill to draw another spot, stopped in midair, pensive. Sanji arrived to the table.

“Nami-san.” He put a cup of steaming tea in front of her, careful not to touch the chart.

“Thank you, Sanji-kun.”

“Thanks!” Usopp said, taking his.

Sanji went towards Zoro and Luffy. The swordsman had his hands behind his head and his eyes were mid-closed, but he sat up when Sanji approached with his cup.

“Thanks.”

Sanji finally looked at Luffy, who was snoring. He seemed about to put the cup on the table, next to his arms, but then he thought better and left it in the empty chair beside him. Then he sat down with his own cup and took a sip.

“Well, it seems like we finally are on course again,” he commented.

“I hope we don’t encounter another storm before we reach Grand Line,” Usopp said, without raising his gaze from his work.

“We’re pretty close to Loguetown, which will be our next stop,” Nami said, still looking thoughtfully and her chart. “And the weather is perfect.”

Luffy let out a particular loud snore. Sanji raised his eyebrow and Usopp rolled his eyes.

“We could be swallowed by another storm right now and he wouldn’t even notice,” he mumbled.

“That’s because he is a storm by himself,” Zoro pointed, resigned.

“So true.” Sanji glanced at his captain, who now was smiling, relaxed, his eyes closed. There was a little silence.

“It was pretty intense there, right?” Nami mumbled in the end.

“Yeah,” Usopp admitted.

“No, but it’s okay.” Sanji’s calm voice made Usopp and Nami raised their heads. “If we haven’t talked about this, we’d have thought about it anyway, and I think that’d have been worse. At least now, we all are sure about what we want.”

“Guess sometimes we need to say things aloud,” Zoro admitted.

“Yeah,” Usopp agreed.

They heard a little groan.

“I don’t really get it… but I guess it’s alright.” Luffy was looking at them with sleepy eyes. “What?”

“When have you woken up?” Usopp asked.

“Right now. Oh, what are you all drinking and why I am the only one who…?”

“Here.”

Sanji quickly guided Luffy’s head towards the cup. The captain smiled.

“Thanks, Sanji!” He took a sip. “Hum, tasty!”

“So?” Nami asked, raising her eyebrows. “What were you saying?”

“Hum? Oh, yeah, I said it’s alright. I mean, I know you’ll come. You’re my comrades, after all.”

Nami and Usopp sighed, while Zoro gave Luffy a resigned look. Sanji smiled.

“You probably haven’t heard a single word, have you?”

“Hum… maybe not? But I understand that you are here now. And that our dreams awaits in Grand Line. That’s enough for me.”

He shrugged. Zoro smiled.

“Yeah. You’re right on that.”

“Guess he said some sensible things once in a while,” Sanji commented.

“Then, let’s go! Set course to Grand Line!” Luffy shouted.

“We’re already on the course, idiot!” Usopp protested.

Nami looked at the East Blue chart and smiled, the quill still over that supposed last spot near Loguetown. She ended up leaving it aside.

“It’s done,” she announced. “Captain, we’re on our way!”

Luffy answered with another cheerful scream, which was soon passed on to the others. There were things one could not draw in a chart, things that just remained in their hearts and in the infinite blue that had seen them grown up. In the sea where they belonged.

_We’ll come back._

Their journey had already started.


End file.
